what is the tone of the book always running?

Yes, the tone of this book is gritty and realistic. As you can imagine gang life in East LA would not be the stuff of Disnay movies. Rodriguez writes with understated passion. What is shocking to most people is simply life on the streets for Rodriguez. Unemployment, drugs, gangs, rape, abortion and prostitution are all part of his story and told in a "matter of fact" tone rather than a sensational one. It's a great read.